Downtown business in its final days
WAYNESBURG – When Joyce Modar made candy as a gift for her children’s teachers and friends at Bethlehem-Center Elementary School, it was simply a nice gesture by the then stay-at-home mom. However, the treats were so well received that Modar started getting requests to make them for Valentine’s Day and then Easter. Soon, she was churning out 676 treats so each child in the school got one. That eventually evolved into the opening of two cake/candy/party supply stores, one of which will be closing by year’s end.
The candy making began more than 30 years ago when the three Modar Children, Shannon, Kristian and Shawn, were all under the age of ten. When her husband, Dennis, lost his job as a coal miner with the closure of the Isabella Mine, the couple pondered ways of bringing in a new income. Joyce had long purchased her candy making supplies from Mary Lou’s Party World in Greensburg. While talking to someone who worked there the idea of Modar opening her own store took shape. Before she knew it, she had a list of suppliers to contact and an addition was being built onto their home.
Modar’s Candy and Cake Supplies opened its Centerville location in 1982. Five years later, the success of the business led to the opening of a second store in Waynesburg. Sadly for many of Modar’s customers, that location will be closing this month.
The store that has been located on High Street in Waynesburg Borough for a quarter century has been a full service party supply source. Baby showers, weddings, birthdays, retirements and every occasion in between have been taken care of with the help of Joyce and Dennis. In addition to the decorations for such events, Joyce made more cakes for them than she can fathom.
“I wish I would have kept track. When it started I hadn’t planned on doing cakes,” she said. Her plan instead was to have someone come to her shop to offer classes in cake decorating. After all, her sister always made the cakes in the family. Joyce, they teased, couldn’t decorate cakes because she was a lefty. After taking the Wilton Cake decorating classes she proved them wrong.
She joked that not long ago she had been approached on two occasions by girls who wanted her to make their wedding cakes. Both noted that Joyce was the one who had done their mother’s cakes when they married and it really took her aback. “I thought, “Gee, did you really have to tell me that,” she laughed. “The one girl said it was her mother’s second marriage so at least it wasn’t as bad as a first one.”
When Joyce underwent a seemingly simple surgery two years ago she ended up needing several other surgeries to correct a mistake that was made. This made it difficult for her to continue decorating cakes for some time. Fortunately, her children and daughter-in-law, pitched in to complete some of the projects. However, her medical problems, along with the daily commute from Centerville to Waynesburg and continuing to operate at both locations, took enough of a toll that the Modars decided it may be time to close the Waynesburg store. Joyce said the decision did not come without reservations. As a regular customer, who stopped for candy supplies, reacted with sadness to the news the shop was in its final days, it was easy to see why the decision was so tough.
“I’ll miss all of the people. Everybody was so good when I sick. People brought meals in for Dennis to bring home so we didn’t have to cook,” she said. “I had a lot of mothers in town.”
Joyce said the plan is to stay open through Christmas Eve. In the days following, Joyce and Dennis will begin the arduous task of moving their inventory to the much smaller home store location. Dennis said he will save the cash register and the New Year’s party supplies for last, just in case someone wants to make a purchase. The Modars are considering ways to still cater to their clientele in Waynesburg who can’t make the drive to Centerville, although they don’t have it figured out just yet. There may be the occasional trip to town with supplies or a booth set up at next year’s holiday open house, Joyce said, but noted nothing is carved in stone.
The business has been a way to always be near their children, Joyce said. When the kids were little and Joyce and Dennis operated just the shop at home, they were there. When Shannon attended Waynesburg University, the store in Greene County was right down the hill, allowing them to still be right there.
“I never intended to open a business but it really worked out well,” she said.
Cake and candy supplies, party supplies, balloons, greeting cards, and much more is still available through Monday at 37 E. High St., Waynesburg.